Feeding-drum.



W. J. BOUDWIN.

FEEDING DRUM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28. |916.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

WALKER J'. BOUDWIN, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH,

Assrcrnoit on ONE-HALF To THE GENERAL ENGINEERING COMPANY, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION 0F UTAH.

FEEDINGr-DRUM.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application 1ed August 248, 1916. Serial No. 117,303.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WALKER J. BoUDwIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certainA similar reference characters indicate like parts in the several views;

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a feeding drum and showing by dotted lines, a fragment of the casing of a grinding-mill to which the drum is attached.

Fig. 2 is an end View of the drum.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of a drum of modified form.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a lifting Vane of slightly modified form.

As this invention is particularly concerned with the feed-head through which the material to be pulverized or ground is fed into a rotating cylinder, drum, tumbling barrel, or the like, I have shown only so much of the casing A of the mill as to make clear the location and function of the present improvement. The mill is provided with a hollow trunnion, A', withinl which is securely fixed a feeding-tube, B, the interior of which is formed or provided with aspii'alrib, C, or like part by which material admitted into one end of the tube will be fed along the tube and into the pulverizing chamber of the mill.

The hollow feeding-tube is provided with flanges, a and b, the former of which enables the tube to be bolted or otherwise fixedly secured to the outer end of the trunnion, A', of the mill casing; the-other ange, b, affords means for bolting or otherwise securing the tube to the inner end of the feeding drum proper. .This drum may be formedl of sheet metal, or other desired material and it is of cylindrical form and its outer end is "provided with an opening, d, to admit the material to be pulverized or ground. In the present instance, I have shown a feed-chute, D, as a means for delivering the material into the drum, the' discharge end of this chute entering the open end, d, of the drum and discharging material into the lower portion of the latter.

On the inside of the drum and surrounding the open end, d, thereof is an angle iron or other bracket, e, which reinforces the opening and also provides an overhanging wall to assist in retaining-the material in the drum during the rotation of the latter.

The end of the drum opposite the feed opening, (Z, is formed with an interior lifting blade or vane, E, which is of substantially scoop-shape. This vane consists of two parallel sides, 2 and 3, the former of which is represented by the innerend of the drum; and a front, 4, and a straight or slightly curved bottom, 5, the said front being shorter than the curved bottom so as to provide an opening, 6, which may be regarded as the mouth of the scoop or lifting-vane, said scoop or vane extending fromv the center of the drum to the inner circumference at one side and being fixedly secured to the drum proper and being rotatable therewith so that during the revolution of the drum, the material which has ybeen fed into the same, is picked up bythe outer open end of the lifting vane and during the continued revolution of the drum, this material is directed toward the axis of the drum and lifting vane, said vane having at its center an opening, 7, which leads through the end wall of the drum and communicates directly with and as a continuation of the hollow feeding tube, B, which is an end extension of the feeding drum, and which tube is provided with the internal feeding spiral, C, for directing the material into the casing of the mill.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to supply feeding drums with lifting vanes, but in the present case, a'distinct advantage is urged for the particular vane I show in that said vane is devoid of a spiral or tortuous passage through which the material must pass before it enters the casing of the mill. In my invention, the scoop-shaped end of the vane picks up 'the material and this material drops almost immediately Aand directly to the axis of the mill and which is represented bythe inner end of the lifting vane, and consequently the material does not have to follow a spiral path before it can reach the mill proper.

I prefer the stragiht lifting vane of Fig. 2, but if desired, I may use one Where the bottom of the vane is slightly curved from beginning to end, as shown at E', in Fig. 4. In the modified form of drum, E2, shown in Fig. 3, the drum, has its opposite sides of substantially conical form and connected byan intermediate cylindrical portion, e2. In this case, the lifting vane will be of the character and form before described and Will operate in similar manner. In both instances the material lifted by the vane falls almost immediately to the center or axis of the mill and directly into the tubular extension of the drum, and which extension is Within and concentric with the hollow trunnion of the mill casing. In either of the instances noted, there may be bolted or otherwise secured to the inner end of the vane a block', G, with a curved face for deflecting the course of the material and directing said material into the receiving end of the tubular extension -or feeding tube, B. This block is located in the angle formed by the inner end and the side 3 of the vane and extends over the inner end of said vane and consequently receives the abrading impact of the material falling radially through the vane and thus takes the wear which otherwise Would come upon the relatively thin inner end of said vane. The block being bolted in place it is readily removable and when worn to any considerable extent, it may be replaced by a similar block.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is In a machine of the character described, the combination of a revoluble feeding drum, having a feed opening in one end and a tubular extension at the opposite end, said extension having longitudinal spiral conveying means; a lifting vane within the drum and fixed thereto and having a mouth or opening contiguous to the inner circumference of the drum, said rane having a radial substantially straight passage extending from the periphery of the drum to the axis thereof and connecting at the latter point with said tubular extension; and a removable block fitting in the angle between a side and the inner end of the lifting vane and extending over and reinforcing said end, and having a curved inner face for deiiecting the material and positively directing it into the inlet end of said extension.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

WALKER J. BOUDWIN, 

